What is involved in delivering DL with Web 2.0?

Distance learning in most cases, requires that a student have access to a computer and connectivity. Web 2.0 requires that a person has both. It consists of things like social software, wikis, blogs, podcasts, screencasts and anything considered new media. Access is via a url.

Blogs They have unique characteristics that make them more usable for education than a website. They are time-date stamped, in reverse chronological order, utilize archives, allow for interactivity (comments), allow enclosures for podcasts, screencasts, pdf's,and vodcasts.

You do not need to know how to code to build a blog. Unlike a website, you do not have to supply the server and there is no cost involved. Of course, like in all things, you can, if you choose, build your own blogs and use your own server. You could also pay for a blog. But why would you?

They are publishable, instantly, with RSS (Really Simple Syndication). Your students can know immediately if you have published something new on the blog. And if you use blogs as the students platform for work, you can know immediately if they have published something new. There are many blog companies out there. Here I have used http://blogger.com.


Wikis A wiki is a platform in which anyone or just a chosen few can work on a project in a collaborative fashion. It is like a web page accept that it is not static. You can interact. It also makes it easy to upload files such as podcasts, and pictures. It is very intuitive and easy to use. You don't need to know how to code in order to add content. There is also a discussion board on many wikis. One of the many offerings comes from http://pbwiki.com The pb stands for peanut butter, a symbol of ease.

Podcast More and more schools are offering lectures via a podcast. It is an mp3 that is downloadable onto phones, computers, iPods, and/or mp3 players. It allows the student to listen to a lecture asynchronously and repeatedly (if necessary). You need a device to capture sound like an iPod or computer. You will also need software to turn the file into an mp3. Audacity is an opensource software program that many use.

Screencasts Like a podcast, the screencast has an audio component as well as a visual component. You can capture your screen and talk about what you are doing. It makes for a great tutorial, especially for students who do not learn well just by being 'told' how to do something. You will need software loaded onto the computer that is going to be captured. Camtasia does a great job but costs. CamStudio is a opensource software that also does a decent job of recording. And you might need a mic, since most computers do not come with one.

Social Software Much of this software is free . Google maps, Flickr, del.icio.us can be downloaded and used immediately. Social software can be used to build lessons, or used for homework. With maps, the creative uses are almost limitless. Flickr and del.icio.us are sources of networking, research, and finding links to things beyond a search engine.